Review of Goosebumps (2015) by Greg C — 08 Dec 2015

Goosebumps has returned from beyond the grave! If you are not familiar with Goosebumps, it was a 90?s children book series about monsters, ghouls and other haunting creatures. The series inspired many child such as myself to love reading. Although marketed towards this generation of children, the film is a fun, nostalgic adventure.

In typical Goosebumps fashion, the film starts with a teenager named Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette), who moves to the small town of Madison, Delaware. He begins to crush on his neighbor Hannah (Odeya Rush). The only thing separating the two is her strict father, Mr. Shivers (Jack Black). Thinking Hannah is in trouble, Zach and his buddy Champ (Ryan Lee) break into her house and accidentally unleash the monsters from an old Goosebumps manuscripts lead by the creepy Slappy the Dummy. They discover her father is really author R.L. Stine. They all must team and save the town from these ghouls.

Its been said by every reviewer, but it hits the head on the nail. Goosebumps is the 21st century, Halloween version of Jumanji. Its not as good as the classic, but it shares the similar fun characteristics. Jumanji meets the Monster Squad. The performances were pretty good, especially Ryan Lee. Great comedic relief and timing. The story was fun and fast paced. Much like the books. And I had a great nostalgic kick. For a film that I had zero faith in, it was a nice surprise. Goosebumps is a family Halloween film that 90?s kids will enjoy and may inspire today's children to read.

Ps. Yes, Slappy the Dummy is still scary as hell!